Washing machines are electric appliances that treat laundry and washing machines include washers, dryers and washers having a drying function.
Such a washing machine may be categorized into a drum type washing machine and a pulsator type, in other words, upright type washing machine. In the drum type washing machine, laundry loaded in a drum is lifted and dropped and washing is performed with a relatively small amount of water. In the pulsator type washing machine, a large amount of water is supplied to a drum vertically installed in a tub and laundry is rotated to be washed by both water currents and friction.
Dryers are electric appliances that dry washed laundry by using hot air. In general, a dryer include a drum receiving laundry, a driving source for driving the drum, heating means for heating air drawn into the drum and a blower unit for drawing or discharging the air inside the drum.
Such the dryer may be categorized based on a heating type, in other words, heating means into an electric type dryer and a gas type dryer. In the electric type dryer, air is heated by ohmic heating and in the gas type dryer, air is heated by using heat generated by gas combustion.
The dryer may be categorized into an exhaustion type dryer and a condensation, in other words, circulation type dryer. In the exhaustion type dryer, air is heat-exchanged with laundry inside the drum and damp air is directly exhausted outside the dryer. In the condensation type dryer, the damp air heat-exchanged with the laundry inside the drum is circulated, not exhausted outside, and an auxiliary condenser heat-exchanges the damp air and condensate generated by the condenser is discharged outside the dryer.
In the meanwhile, the condensation type dryer supplies water, which is the condensate, and it heat-exchange the water with the damp air flowing a condensation duct after discharged from the drum such that the damp air may be humidified. However, the condensate after heat-exchanging in the drying is discharged right away according to the conventional dryer. Because of that, too much water is consumed in the drying disadvantageously.